Uncritical reliance on individual physicians' tacit knowledge about professional competence could lead to evaluating applicants and students according to idiosyncratic or outmoded standards.

More prestigious placements for individual residency candidates does not justify turning a blind eye to dishonest behavior during the match.

While medical training admissions processes have often focused on the qualities residing in the individual, the applicant's ability to build relationships is equally, if not more, important.

For the dean's letter to be valuable, it should be an objective and unabridged summary of the student's performance without obscuring or eliminating the very information that might predict difficulty in residency.

The different social messages conveyed to male and female medical students may contribute to unequal representation in certain specialties.

The Moseley study found no significant difference between those in the arthroscopic lavage and debridement arm of the study and those in the sham surgery arm.

Why is there such an apparent mismatch between what our spending priorities ought to be and the actual allocation of funds? Differences in wealth, which often translate into greater political power, offer a partial explanation.

If a physician worries that a treatment will benefit the patient through the placebo effect, should he perform it?

To prevent patients from avoiding care when they cannot afford it, providers should collaborate with them to eliminate unnecessary testing, reduce the frequency of follow-up visits where possible, and make manageable payment plans.

By not adequately staffing a unit, a hospital administration is withholding optimal care from those treated there.